The Most Delicate Thing We Do
by SharpeBB
Summary: Life is full of trials and tribulations. Of journeys long and short, easy and difficult. Twelve friends have always known to rely on one another. Now, together, they'll learn how to handle the most delicate aspect of life.
1. The Return

I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally be getting this story up and running.

I've been working on this one for a long time, and I'm really looking forward to sharing it with you all.

Hopefully, you'll understand why! Hope you enjoy it, and as always, let me know what you think!

The worst part of every story, the disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

* * *

Kari Kamiya sat at the computer in her bedroom, staring at her half-finished book report. She reread the same line, describing the main characters motivation for revenge as justifiable despite the extreme measures he took, for the dozenth time before growling in aggravation and closing the program. It was absolutely ridiculous that everyone had to do a report that was worth fifteen percent of their final English grade. It's not like Kari was ever going to get a job where she'd have to describe stories to large groups of people. The only people who would gain any value from examining novels in such an in depth were aspiring writers, or just those people who were weirdly into English.

_Someone like TK, _Kari thought to herself, smiling.

TK had always been one to enjoy English class. At least, he always enjoyed talking to Kari about English work. He had helped her with her assignments so much over the years that he liked to joke that the only reason Kari would graduate high school was because of him. Kari let him make his jokes because she knew he wasn't serious, and she appreciated all his help. Just when she thought how nice it would be to have TK help him, a notification appeared in the bottom right corner of her computer screen.

_**HopefulTaka **__has logged on to messenger._

Kari grinned widely and instantly opened up a chat window with her blonde friend.

**HikaKam: **TK! Online just when I need you.

**HopefulTaka: **You know me. I always know when I'm needed. :P English work bugging you?

**HikaKam: **Smartass. How do you always know what it is?

**HopefulTaka: **Cause I know you inside and out Kari. ;)

Kari rolled her eyes before responding.

**HikaKam: **You know, it's a good thing no one can see our private messages. Otherwise there would be a lot of awkward questions. Lol. But seriously, can you lend me a hand?

**HopefulTaka: **Always. But, can I tell you something first?

**HikaKam: **TK, you want to talk about your issues before mine? You've never done that before! I don't know if I should allow such an act! ;)

**HopefulTaka: **I'm serious Kar…

**HikaKam: **Oh damnit, sorry TK. Of course you can talk to me.

Kari felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she sent that message. She should have known that if TK wanted to talk to her it was something serious. She only remembered one time where he put his own needs before her when she asked for help, and that was because he was about to start writing an exam and she just wanted his opinion on a trivial matter.

Her concern grew quickly the longer she saw that TK was typing his response. TK was often a quick responder. If he was taking his time, that meant he was either picking his words very carefully, or it was a very long response. Or both. Kari knew that whatever the case, she needed to be ready for anything. Finally after a few minutes of waiting, TK's message appeared and Kari quickly began reading it, wanting to know what her friend needed to talk about.

**HopefulTaka:** I'm sure you've noticed I haven't been online much the past couple of days. Well, my grandfather died on Sunday so…

"Oh no TK…" Kari whispered before she continued reading.

**HopefulTaka: **…Sunday so I've been going through that the past few days. Trying to give my mom enough support while trying to handle this myself hasn't been easy. The funeral was today and I had to speak at it. It was… well I don't really want to relive it right now. But I wish I could have had your support. Matt knows, obviously. No idea if he told Tai, Sora or any of the others. But it's been kinda tough with this on top of school and everything. But this has been a long time coming. And at least he lived a good long life. And he was happy with his lot in life when he passed.

Kari felt her heart ache, wishing she could give her friend a strong, supportive hug.

**HikaKam: **Oh TK, I'm so sorry. I wish I could be there for you right now. Please, tell me there's something I can do.

**HopefulTaka: **There's not a lot you can do. But thanks for the offer, it always means a lot coming from you. There is a small silver lining to all this though.

**HikaKam:** A silver lining?

**HopefulTaka: **Yeah. Since Mom and I moved here to look after my grandpa after my grandma died, and well, now we don't have much of a reason to stay…

Kari read these words and her heart started to beat rapidly, not daring to believe what TK might be implicating.

**HikaKam: **TK… you're not saying what I think you are, are you?

**HopefulTaka: **Yup. In about two weeks, after I finish my term and all the arrangements are finalised, I'm coming back to Odaiba.

Kari leapt out of her chair and started squealing with joy. TK was finally coming home! After all this time, she would finally get to see him again. She knew she should be upset given the circumstances, but she couldn't contain herself. She finally regained her composure and sat at her chair again.

**HikaKam: **Oh my god TK! I can't believe it! I know I should be sad about your grandpa, but I can't believe I get to see you again!

**HopefulTaka: **Yup. In just a few weeks I'll be gone from Paris. And I can assure you the first thing I'm doing is giving you the biggest hug you've ever gotten. ;)

**HikaKam: **Oh I'm expecting it!

**HopefulTaka: **I knew you would be. :) Look, I know I said I'd help, but I've got to run to class. Sorry Kar. But soon we won't have to deal with the time difference anymore!

**HikaKam: **It's okay TK. I really should be able to do this on my own. Just do what you need to. Miss you. Can't WAIT to see you again!

**HopefulTaka: **You too. Talk to you later.

_**HopefulTaka **__has logged off._

Kari closed the chat window and once again started jumping around her room with excitement, her English work now completely forgotten. Just as she jumped off her bed for the third time, the door to her bedroom burst open, revealing a young man the large, bushy brown hair.

"Jesus Kari, what the hell is going on in here?" Tai demanded in an agitated tone, "I wanted my summer break to be relaxing but it's hard with you acting like a maniac!"

Kari flung her arms around her brother, squeezing him tightly.

"I'm sorry Tai," Kari apologised, "But I was just talking to TK, and he told me that he's finally coming back to Odaiba!"

Tai stared at is sister in shock for a moment, before he laughed, and whooped with joy himself.

"Seriously? TK's coming back? Damn this is great news!" Tai exclaimed, hugging his sister back, "I've gotta go call Matt, see if he knows what's up. Then I've got to tell everyone else! There's going to be an awesome party!"

Tai turned around and left the room, flipping open his cell phone as he did so. Kari continued to smile as she heard her brother start talking to his best friend, before throwing herself down on her bed. She rolled on her side to look at the picture she had on her bedside table. It was one of the dozens of pictures of Kari and TK together that could be found throughout Kari's bedroom. However this picture had always been Kari's favourite.

It had been taken the day he left Odaiba and every time Kari looked at it, she could still remember everything about that day perfectly. The pain she felt at losing her best friend, the way she felt when he gave her the last hug they had shared, and the reassurance she felt when TK promised her everything would be alright.

It always stayed so fresh in her memory…

The sun shone brightly on the most beautiful day Tokyo had seen in months. A warm breeze whistled gently through the trees and the sky almost glistened a brilliant blue on the cloudless day. Everything seemed perfect. But for a few friends, they weather was a poor representation of how they all were feeling. Perfect was the last word any of them would ever use to describe this day.

Fourteen people stood in the parking lot of the apartment building that Yolei, Cody and TK lived in. But now it was the apartment building TK used to live in.

The young blonde was doing everything he could to drag out saying his "goodbyes" for as long as possible. He knew that he had to get to the airport with Matt and his parents but that just made everything harder. Especially since Matt and his dad would get to come home in a few days. Back to their normal life. But normal was once again going to change for TK.

"I really can't believe this," he told his friends, "I've only been back in Odaiba a year. Now I have to leave again."

"It's just not fair!" Mimi cried as tears fell from her eyes, "I move back two weeks ago and now TK's leaving! We all deserve to be together, not split up like this."

Sora and Yolei comforted Mimi while she sobbed into her hands. TK looked around to see Tai, Izzy and Joe were all standing awkwardly next to the girls trying to figure out if they should talk to Mimi, or say their last goodbye to TK. Beyond them Ken was trying to console a rather hurt Davis, who was trying to act like this wasn't really happening. Matt and Cody were standing with TK's parents as Cody received last minute instructions for checking in on Matt and his Dad's apartment while they were at the funeral in Paris. Finally, TK found the person he had been searching for.

Kari was standing in the shade of a nearby tree, her body clenched up. TK slowly approached her, not knowing what to say to his best friend. Kari raised her head as TK drew closer and their eyes met. TK instantly felt the pain in them and wished with every fiber of his body he could ease her torment. But he knew that he couldn't. He knew that he had let his best friend down.

"Kari I'm… I'm so sorry about this," TK told her when he reached her. He moved to place his hand on her shoulder but she quickly grabbed it with both of hers. She slipped something into the palm of his hand, but didn't let go as she spoke.

"You have nothing to apologise for TK," she whispered, her voice trembling, "It's not your fault your grandparents were in that accident. It's not your fault your grandma died. And it's not your fault that you need to help your mother take care of your grandpa. So don't apologise for doing the right thing. Because I won't accept it."

She released his hand and he opened it up, revealing a small bracelet, made of white, gold, and pink string. TK turned it over in his hand as he examined it. It felt so soft against his fingers that he was worried it might slip out of his hand. Before he could ask Kari about it, she picked it up and gently tied it around his right wrist.

"I made it last night," she told him, "There wasn't enough time to get you anything substantial but… I didn't want you to forget about me."

She lowered her hands when she finished tying the knot, and TK raised the bracelet to his eye level, wanting a better look. It was odd that a few pieces of string could look so beautiful wrapped around his wrist. It was like his whole arm had been incomplete until just now.

"You didn't need to do this Kari, but thank you," TK said, as he wrapped his arms around her. Kari buried her head into TK's chest as she embraced him as well.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without you here. Having you back in my life has been so amazing. I just didn't imagine it would ever end."

TK's nose brushed through her hair as he shifted his face, kissing her cheek. He strengthened his hold on her, trying to tell her everything that he couldn't say.

"It'll be okay Kar. It won't really end. I'm just leaving for a while. I'll come back. And you'll be the first person I see. Because I promise that I will never, EVER forget about you."

The two friends pulled away from each other, giving one another a small smile. They stared at each other for several seconds before they heard an audible *click* to the side of them. They turned to see Tai holding Kari's camera, grinning at the two friends.

"You did say you wanted a good picture Kari," Tai teased as Kari glared at him for interrupting them, "Besides it's uh… it's time TK. Your mom says you've got to go now."

TK sighed and turned to Kari. The brunette nodded at him and took his hand, leading him back to the others. Mimi and Davis had finally calmed down, but there were still tears leaking down Mimi's cheeks and Davis' eyes looked extremely red. They arrived back at the group just as Matt was releasing Sora from a strong hug.

"I'll call you when I get back next Tuesday," he said as he let go of his girlfriend.

"Okay, you'd better," Sora told him, her voice starting to waver, as she knew what was coming up.

Matt gave her a sad smile, and a kiss on the cheek, before turning to his brother, "Okay buddy, it's time. Better do it quickly."

TK nodded and turned to face Joe. The two smiled at each other for a moment before shaking hands.

"I'm going to miss you TK. Sorry Old Reliable won't be able to help out much anymore," Joe said in a sad voice.

"Don't worry about it," TK chuckled, "I've got to start depending on myself sooner or later."

Joe laughed as he let go of TK's hand, and TK shuffled over to stand in front of Ken. The two smirked at each other before grasping hands and giving each other a one armed embrace.

"Who'd have thought that I'd be sorry to see the guy who kicked my ass move away?" Ken joked.

"Just make sure I don't have to come back and finish the job," TK laughed as he gave the blue haired boy one last squeeze.

TK then turned to Mimi who threw herself on TK as she continued to cry. She tried to choke out a few words but nothing coherent came out. Nevertheless, TK understood the sentiment.

"Thanks Meems. I'll miss you too."

As Ken and Joe supported Mimi as they pried her of him, TK walked up to Cody, grasping his hand. They looked at each other for a few seconds, smiling at one another. After all they had been through, they finally understood one another well enough that no words needed to be said. Finally, Cody gave TK as small nod and released his hand.

Yolei approached TK and before he could say anything, pulled him into a strong hug, pinning his arms to his side.

"I still remember when we met you in the elevator," she said quietly, "Sometimes I think that you're the reason all of this has happened to me. So thank you. For all of this."

TK finally pulled his arms free and hugged Yolei in return, "I don't know if it was my doing, but I'm glad it was you and not someone else."

Yolei tightened her grip on TK for a moment before letting him go, her eyes watering as she did so. TK looked over at Tai, Sora and Izzy and smiled as he approached them. TK reached out and shook Izzy's hand before he could say anything else.

"Thanks for everything Izzy. I don't think I'd be here today if it wasn't for you. If anyone asks me who's done the most for me, I'll have to tell them about the genius friend I have from back home."

"Prodigious," Izzy replied, giving TK a small smile.

As TK let go of Izzy's hand he quickly opened his arms as Sora hugged him.

"Be good. Stay safe. Make plenty of friends. And keep in touch," She whispered in his ear.

"Okay mom," TK joked, while hugging Sora tightly.

Sora smiled and kissed TK on the cheek before letting him go. TK blushed slightly trying to avoid Matt's eyes as he moved in front of his old leader. Tai glared at TK for a moment before speaking.

"You know, I really should hit you for causing my sister so much pain," he told TK in a low voice. TK was nervous and about to defend himself when Tai broke into a smile and continued, "But then I'd be a complete ass for hitting someone who cares about her more than I do."

TK sighed with relief as Tai pulled him into a quick embrace.

"Take care of her?" TK whispered in Tai's ear, quietly enough so that no one else could hear.

Tai smiled as he released TK, "Anything for you buddy."

TK nodded as he turned to face Davis, who was making quite a point of avoiding TK's gaze with his arms across his chest.

"So you're not even going to say anything?" TK asked, trying to provoke Davis.

"Pfft, whatever TJ. I knew you wouldn't be around long, and I'd scare you away," Davis tried to sneer. He begrudgingly held out his hand, "But if you're going, well good luck I guess."

TK grasped Davis' hand and smirked, "You know, I'd be willing to let a coin flip decide if I stay or leave. Heads I go, Tails I stay?"

Davis finally looked at TK and laughed as the two friends embraced each other.

"Bye TK. I'll really miss you buddy," Davis said.

"You too man," TK replied.

Finally TK turned to Kari. The two friends stared at each other for a minute, not knowing what to say. Suddenly in one synchronised movement, they threw their arms around one another. The held each other as tightly as they could, trying to prolong the embrace as long as they could.

"I love you TK," Kari whispered softly in his ear.

"I love you too Kari."

They finally let go of one another and TK looked at all his friends one last time.

"Well, bye guys," he said sadly as he turned away from them.

Matt sighed and nodded at everyone as he placed his arm across his brother's shoulders, guiding him to the car. They got in and TK's father started the car. It backed up and pulled out of the parking lot. No one spoke as the car drove down the street out of sight. Finally, after several minutes, the car turned a corner and disappeared.

"Well, I guess that's it," Tai said.

"Right," Cody agreed, "Guess I better get over to Matt's apartment to make sure everything's in order."

"I still can't believe he asked YOU to look after it," Davis said in disbelief.

"Well he and Yolei do live closer than anyone else," Izzy pointed out.

"And being the child of Knowledge AND Reliability, they probably figure it's a safe bet," Sora joked.

Almost everyone laughed as the group slowly began to break up, as everyone continued on with their day. However even after everyone left, Kari remained where she was standing. She continued to gaze off in the direction that the car had driven holding her arms tightly. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke to the boy who couldn't hear her.

"I'll never forget you either TK. Come back to me soon."

Kari put the picture back on her bedside table and sat up. She looked over at her desk, thinking she should probably continue her book report. She stood up and grabbed her book, trying to flip to a passage she had wanted to cite in her report before she had started talking to TK. However after a minute, she realised she was just flipping through the pages randomly, and was completely unfocused. She dropped the book on her table and turned off her computer.

After quickly changing into her sleepwear and preparing to retire for the night, Kari slipped under the covers of her bed and closed her eyes. She tried to clear her mind and relax, but nothing was working. Nothing she did could contain the excitement she felt. She opened her eyes one more time, once again looking at the picture of her and TK holding each other.

"I knew you'd come back," Kari smiled, as she finally rolled over and drifted off into a blissful sleep.

* * *

The arrival gate hummed with activity. Hundreds of people were coming and going, screams of delight constantly overwhelming the buzz of voices. It seemed like the whole world was currently running through Narita Airport.

Kari, Tai, Matt, Sora, Davis, Yolei and Ken stood near the exit where TK and his mother were due to walk through in just a few minutes. There was an incredible air of excitement surrounding the seven friends.

Davis and Yolei both looked as though it was Christmas morning and they were eagerly awaiting to open their presents. Sora was smiling so widely that several passing young men winked at her because she looked so charming. Matt, who was normally calm and relaxed, couldn't help but fidget and kept pulling out his phone and checking the time. He grew more excited with each minute that passed. Ken was trying to keep his composure as best he could, but kept spinning around in excitement each time he saw a flash of blonde hair. Tai was practising his foot work, imagining he had a football between his feet and was kicking it around. Everyone who knew Tai knew that the more intricate he got with his practising, the more excited he was. And he had already accidentally knocked over two people. However it was obvious to anyone observing the group, that no one was more excited than Kari.

The brunette was rapidly pacing back and forth with a little skip in her step. Her hopeful eyes were glued to the door, separating the gate from the rest of the terminal. She held her hands tightly against her chest. Everything about Kari's attitude made it apparent to everyone that this meant more to her than anyone else.

"Oh god, how long can it take to get off a plane and pick up your luggage?" Kari cried out.

"Kari relax," Tai said soothingly, "It's a big airport and the plane only landed five minutes ago. He's probably just getting off now. It won't take a long time!"

"Tai it's been three years since I've seen him!" Kari snapped at her brother, "It's already been a long time."

Tai rolled his eyes and stepped away from his sister. He understood her nerves, they were all excited by TK's return. However Kari had been almost obsessing about this for the past two and a half weeks. He knew that she would likely calm down once she finally saw her old friend, and hugged the life out of him, but he was still concerned that Kari was too emotionally invested in TK's arrival.

But as Tai looked around at all his friends who had gathered, he took note of how excited they all were and realised that maybe he was just being too over protective of Kari. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened. He smiled a little, content in believing that his sister was acting normal enough, and leant on the wall next to Sora, chatting with her about school.

"Hey Matt, where are TK and your mom going to live now?" Yolei asked after a moment, "I'm assuming they aren't coming back to the old building."

"No they have a small house they're moving into," Matt answered, "Mom asked me a few months ago to start looking for a place, because she knew grandpa didn't have long. After several weeks, my dad and I found the place. He bought it, but he and mom are going to go through the process of it being put in her name."

"That's good," Yolei responded, "I would hate for them to be stuck in a hotel for weeks on end."

"It would have been fine," Davis told her, "I just would've let TK crash with me the whole time."

"Davis, are you saying that now that you're done with Kari, you're going to start chasing TK?" Ken joked.

"Ha ha," Davis replied sarcastically while Yolei and Matt laughed.

After a few more intolerably long minutes ticked by, an announcement blared over the PA.

"_Baggage from Air France flight 428 is now available for pick-up at carousel three."_

"That's TK's flight!" Yolei squealed with barely contained glee. The seven friends now moved closer to the door that separated them from their friend and watched intently, praying that the next person to walk through it would be their friend.

"Gah, I haven't been this anxious since my audition for the music program at school!" Matt said.

"And that's why we broke up," Sora teased the blonde, "Everything always comes back to your music career."

"That and your constant complaining about everything that makes me great," Matt shot back.

"Oh yeah, I was the one who complained about everything. Not the guy who refused to drink his coffee unless it was made perfectly."

"Guys, is this really the time to make jokes about this sort of thing?" Ken asked, in an attempt to stop an argument before it started.

"Don't blame me," Matt told him, "I was just responding to Sora's jab!"

"That's not the point," Ken replied, "It happened two years ago so you should both just stop making jokes about it. Besides we have more important things going on!"

"Exactly," Davis added, "I mean, you guys have to help me get the number of that barista in the café over there. She's been eyeing me since we got here!"

"Davis, that's not what I-"

"THERE HE HIS!" Kari shrieked, ending the conversation.

Everyone spun to face the door and saw him. Tall, well built with toned muscles. A kind face, accented by golden blonde hair that fell carelessly across his forehead, and crystal blue eyes that sparkled with life. He looked around, and his face lit up with excitement as his eyes fell on the group of friends. There was no doubt in anyone's mind. Takeru Takaishi was back.

"GUYS!" he yelled, sprinting towards his friends leaving his suitcase behind.

Before anyone else could react, Kari was charging towards the blonde. When they were a few feet apart from one another, she lunged at him, throwing her arms around his shoulders. TK laughed as he caught her, and spun her around. Her legs flailed wildly for a moment before he set her down, but he didn't release his hold on her. The two friends held on to each other as hard as they could, as though they never wanted to let the other one go.

"I can't believe you're actually here!" Kari whispered into TK's ear.

"I told you I'd be back," TK said softly.

Kari pulled her head back from TK's shoulder to look at him, "I never doubted you for a second."

For what seemed like an eternity, the two friends stood there, with their arms wrapped around one another. However what was an eternity for them, was only mere seconds for all their friends. Before Kari and TK knew what was happening, TK was being pulled away from her and was swarmed by hugs from his other friends.

"TK! Welcome home!" Davis yelled as he released TK from his grasp.

"It's so good to see you!" Yolei added as she squeezed TK tightly.

For a couple confusing minutes, TK was embraced and greeted by everyone assembled. TK finally managed to extract himself from the scrum that had formed, and smiled widely at his friends.

"It is so good to be back! I can't believe how much I mis-"

"TK get over here! You promised to help out, AND you forgot your suitcase."

TK spun around to see his mother glowering at him, standing next to his suitcase. He blushed slightly and jogged back to get his suitcase. He mumbled an apology as he passed his mom, who as walking over to greet everyone herself.

"Oh it's so good to see you!" she said, as she hugged her elder son.

"Good to see you too mom," Matt grumbled, trying to get out of the embrace.

"It's good to see you again Ms. Takaishi," Tai said as he offered his hand.

"Oh Tai, even after all these years you can still call me Nancy," she responded, taking his hand, "That goes for all of you."

"How was the flight," Sora asked while shaking Nancy's hand herself, "Was TK much trouble?"

"Are you kidding? He was completely strung out. I almost asked the flight attendants to restrain him he was bouncing around so much."

Everyone laughed at the idea of TK acting so silly before Nancy continued.

"Honestly, I'm just glad I had help. I honestly have no idea how she puts up with him sometimes."

Kari exchanged confused looks with the others.

"Sorry Ms. Takaishi, but who-"

"Well you can't blame her," TK's voice interrupted, "It's not her fault I'm so charming."

The group, who had been focused on Nancy turned to face TK again and were surprised to see him standing with a beautiful young girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes similar to TK's. She smiled at everyone as TK placed his arm around her shoulders.

"You guys all remember Catherine, right?" TK asked.

"It's good to see you all!" Catherine announced.

Everyone stared for a moment, dumbfounded. Finally Tai regained his composure and laughed. He gently took Catherine's hand and shook it.

"It certainly is a pleasure to see you again," he told her, "I think we're all just surprised. TK didn't tell us that you were going to be coming with him."

"Why wouldn't she come?" TK asked, his eyebrows raised, "I mean, just because I've moved back to Odaiba from Paris doesn't mean I'm going to stop spending time with my girlfriend!"


	2. Catching Up

Gah! Sorry for the delay on this! It took a lot longer because it just kept getting longer and longer! I actually considered splitting it into two chapters, but that would have messed up the flow.

A small authors note, I've made all the school years (French and Japanese) universal, based on the one I grew up with in Canada (September to June). I meant to mention that in the first chapter but I forgot. I hope you can forgive my laziness of just putting things in a perspective that's easy for me.

Now enough of me talking! Let's get to it!

* * *

"How the fuck did no one know that TK has a girlfriend?" Tai asked.

He turned his head to look at the two girls who were the passengers in his car. Kari and Sora both shook their heads in disbelief. The shock that TK had a girlfriend, and that she was going to be staying with him in Japan for two months hadn't worn off yet.

"It'd be one thing if they had just gotten together recently," Tai continued when he received no reply, "But they've been together for two goddamn years! And STILL no one knew."

"Don't look at me," Sora said defensively, "I mean, I love the kid, but it's not like TK and I are best friends. You probably know more about him than me, given that he's so close with Kari."

"Well sis?" Tai questioned his sister, trying to get a good look at her in the back seat.

Kari shook her head, "I dunno. We've been talking as much as possible since he moved. I guess… I dunno. I must have just missed it."

"Kari, how do you miss something like that?" Sora asked, "'Oh hey Kari, yeah school is pretty good. By the way, I've started dating a French, blonde sex-bomb.'"

"I'm not THAT oblivious," Kari defended, "Besides, 'sex-bomb'?"

"Oh come on Kari, Catherine is absolutely stunning," Sora laughed, "Even Tai was momentarily speechless. And we all know how hard to impress he is!"

"Hey!" Tai shouted, blushing slightly, "I just want to know how no one knew about TK dating Catherine."

"Well sorry Tai," Kari said, "I just- Somehow I missed it."

Kari looked into the rear-view mirror, meeting her brother's eyes. He nodded his head slightly and focused his eyes on the road again. He started a new conversation with Sora, having nothing to do with what they had been talking about. Kari sighed and leant her head against the window.

She knew TK probably hadn't withheld this from Kari, and that she probably just had missed something. He had always told her about how he was spending time with Catherine. Somewhere along the way he would have mentioned that they were actually going on a date at some point.

_But when exactly was it?_ Kari thought to herself.

She remembered him telling her about a year after he moved to Paris that he was getting together with Catherine and he was really nervous about it. And now that Kari thought about it, TK had said that they were "going out" and not just "hanging out". And if TK and Catherine had been together for two years then that certainly made sense. But Kari just couldn't figure out how she hadn't caught on to TK's romantic life.

TK had never been one to talk about himself much. Maybe that was why Kari hadn't noticed. It could be so difficult to determine someone's tone and emphasis when you were just chatting with them online. It was always easy to misinterpret what someone was saying. It wasn't as though she had intended to miss what he had been saying. It was just so out of the ordinary that it slipped past her.

_Stop it Kari! _ She thought to herself, _You're clearly overthinking this! It doesn't matter that much. TK didn't seem upset with no one knowing. And it's not as though you dislike Catherine._

Kari sighed and leant back in her seat, trying to feel satisfied with the conclusion she had reached. If TK was happy, the she was happy for him, and the small details didn't matter.

But for the rest of the car ride, there was some odd feeling that Kari could neither identify nor shake.

* * *

TK dropped his suitcase on his new bed. It groaned as the weight of all his possessions suddenly landed on it. He looked around the empty bedroom. It was slightly larger than the one he had at his grandfather's house in Paris, and considerably larger than his room in the old apartment. He was glad that being in Paris had gotten him used to living in a house. He never thought he'd like living in a house, but now he didn't know how he used enjoyed living in apartments.

_Matt and Dad did a good job in finding this place so quickly for us, _TK thought to himself.

He raised his arms over his head, grunting slightly as he stretched. Just as he reached as high as he could, he felt a pair of arms slip around his waist and he breathed in an all too familiar scent. He lowered his arms and gently grasped the hands that were on his stomach.

"So what do you think?" TK asked, "Think you can manage to live here for two months?"

"Oh I'm believe I can manage it," Catherine told him as she moved around to the front of TK, "It helps that I will have someone waiting on my every need."

"I'm assuming you mean my mother. Because I am far from waiting on you hand and foot," TK said.

"Oh?" Catherine raised her eyebrows, "So if I requested a cold drink from you, I would not get one?"

"You absolutely would not," TK declared smugly.

The young couple stared at each other for a moment before both smiling and speaking at the same time.

"I so could."

"You absolutely could."

They two teenagers laughed as TK leant in and placed a soft kiss on Catherine's lips. He grasped her hand and led her into the kitchen where his mother and Matt were talking. Catherine took a seat at the table with Nancy and Matt while TK hopped up on the counter.

"So what do you think of the place little bro?" Matt asked when TK settled himself.

"I don't think you can call me 'little' anymore Matt. I've got at least three inches on you now," TK smirked.

"TK don't be a smart ass," Nancy scolded.

"Don't worry about it Mom," Matt laughed, "TK's just trying to make up for the fact that he isn't nearly as cool as me. It's not his fault I'll always be one step ahead of him."

"Oh yeah?" TK smirked, "How're things with Sora going?"

Matt glared at his brother for a moment before breaking into a reluctant smile.

"Glad you haven't lost your wit kiddo," he said, "It would be mighty boring if you had."

The two brothers started laughing while Catherine looked at them with a befuddled expression on her face.

"I do not understand," she said, "What is it they are laughing about Mlle. Takaishi?"

"They're laughing because they've spent their entire lives trying to be cleverer than one another," Nancy replied rolling her eyes, "And three years in separate countries clearly hasn't changed that. And again Catherine, you can call me Nancy."

"Pardonnez-moi," Catherine replied, "But Matt, are you not angry at TK for making jokes about your girlfriend?"

"Former girlfriend," Matt corrected her, "And no it's okay. I know TK's just kidding around. Sora and I are still friends. We just both realised that our priorities weren't one another."

"That is very mature for someone as young as you to realise," Catherine told him.

"I try my best," Matt joked.

"Or maybe you just try to cover up that Sora felt you were too focused on your music?" Catherine asked with a raised eyebrow.

Matt blushed and tried to stammer out a response as TK and Nancy roared with laughter.

"You knew why we broke up?" Matt finally spat out.

"Of course she did," TK said, "It happened over a year ago and I told her exactly why. She was just playing you right now."

"I see why you like her TK. She's even slyer than you are," Matt chuckled, "Well done mademoiselle."

"Merci," Catherine giggled.

"It really is nice having a girlfriend who can outsmart my brother," TK smirked.

"TK why don't you go finish unpacking," Nancy said, a note of exasperation in her voice.

"Come on Catherine," TK laughed, hopping off the counter, "I might need a hand with some of this stuff."

Catherine stood up and followed her boyfriend out of the kitchen, leaving Matt and Nancy alone together. Matt stood up and poured two glasses of water. He returned to his seat, handing one to his mother.

"So TK certainly seems happy. Has he been like this ever since he started dating Catherine?" Matt asked.

"Pretty much," Nancy replied, "When they first started hanging out together, I thought he might be sort of searching for a replacement Kari. I mean you know how close those two were. I couldn't tear him away from the computer for the first two months we were in France. He was constantly talking to Kari and trying to keep their friendship as stable as possible."

"I bet that was strange for TK," Matt said darkly.

"He certainly wasn't himself," Nancy agreed, "I did manage to get him out with some of the French DigiDestined a couple times in the summer. But it wasn't until school began that he started to become himself again. He instantly became the popular new guy in school. I remember he went on a lot of dates because he was too polite to say 'no'. But he eventually settled down with his own social group."

"Catherine among them I'm assuming?"

"Actually no. Because she's a year beneath him they didn't see a lot of each other at school. But they started spending a lot of time together on weekends. I think they were able to bond fairly easily due to their past experiences. After the third time he had her over for dinner I knew it was only a matter of time that they would be together. It took longer than I thought, but sure enough, it happened."

Matt nodded silently as his mother finished. He took a drink of his water before speaking.

"I still can't believe none of us knew he was dating her. I mean, he told me when they WENT on their first date but he didn't elaborate after that."

"You know TK. He doesn't like talking about himself. He thinks when he does that, he's burdening others with his own issues," Nancy said.

"I know. But still, to not even tell Kari..." Matt trailed off.

"He told me that he told Kari that he was dating Catherine. But knowing TK, he wasn't very clear with what he meant," Nancy laughed.

Matt laughed along with his mother and continued, "Well she's here, he's happy, so I guess all is good in the world of love."

"Maybe for TK," Nancy responded, "But not you. What ever happened with Sora?"

Matt grew silent for a moment. It wasn't that talking about Sora was a sore topic, it was just one that required careful thought into his response.

"She didn't like how little I was focusing on her," he began, "And to be honest, I can't blame her. I was becoming obsessed with my music and the band. And even though we were still in high school at the time, she still felt like if it were anything serious, then there should be more effort put into the relationship. And I wasn't ready to do that. So she ended it."

"Really Matt? That's why it all ended?" Nancy asked in a disappointed tone.

"I was seventeen mom. Seventeen year olds do stupid things. I've still got more than enough time to find the right girl," Matt told her.

"If you say so," was the reply, "So does Sora have a boyfriend now?"

"Not to my knowledge. She went with Tai to prom last year, but that's the closest thing I've heard to a romantic life Sora's had since we broke up."

Nancy nodded her head slowly, "And she and Tai aren't dating? They always were quite close."

"Nope," Matt shook his head, "Tai would have told me. They do still hang out a lot at school, the advantages of going to the same university I guess, but I think Tai is have a little too much fun."

"That's not exactly something I needed to know Matt…"

Matt just laughed as he and his mother continued talking. They spent close to an hour chatting. Matt told Nancy about how his program at Osaka University of Arts, how well the Teenage Wolves had been doing and gave a brief mention of how his romantic life had evolved since he and Sora parted ways. Nancy teased him, expecting that her "big rock star son" would have gotten more girls than he claimed. Matt pretended as though his mother hadn't said anything at all.

They were occasionally interrupted by either TK or Catherine, entering the kitchen for food or to ask about where one of TK's possessions was. After the younger brother left the kitchen for the fifth time, Matt couldn't help but laugh at his sibling.

"Jeez you'd think with all the moving he's done he'd have a better system by now."

"Knowing your brother, I don't think he wants to have a system. He enjoys dealing with life as it happens too much."

Matt chuckled and checked his watch, "Shit, we better get going or we're going to be late."

He stood up, kissed his mother on the cheek and went to put his shoes on.

"Any idea how late you're going to be?" Nancy asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Not a clue," Matt responded.

"Well, I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya won't let things run too long."

"Probably not. Plus, I know Tai's got practise tomorrow, and he won't want to be out of sorts for it," Matt finished.

He rose from his knees, his shoes now tight on his feet, and called to his brother.

"Hey TK, Catherine! Come on out and let's go!"

TK and Catherine exited his bedroom and started to get ready themselves.

"You three have a good time tonight. I'll probably be asleep by the time you get back," Nancy told them as she rose to see them off.

"Where are we going that we'll be gone so late?" Catherine asked.

"To the event of the summer of course," Matt said sarcastically.

TK rolled his eyes at his brother before answering.

"We're going to my not-so-secret surprise welcome home party!"

* * *

"Why am I not surprised that they weren't prepared for the party?" Izzy asked.

"Because Tai was in charge of planning it, and Davis was the one who volunteered to bring most of the supplies," Ken answered.

Izzy, Ken, Joe and Cody were on their way to the supermarket near the Kamiya's new house, on an emergency run to pick up things for TK's party.

"So remind me, what exactly do we need?" Joe asked the three passengers in his car.

"Just a few things you need for a party," Cody responded, "Pop, fruit punch, and other drinks we can think of. Chips, candy and other snack foods. Plastic cups, paper plates, napkins-"

"So basically EVERYTHING you would need for a party," Izzy said, rolling his eyes.

"Uhh yeah. Pretty much," Cody grinned sheepishly.

"Those two will be the death of me," Izzy sighed.

"I get why Davis and Tai dropped the ball," Joe began as they arrived at the store, "But how did Kari let this slip by? From what I've heard from Tai, she's been acting crazy ever since TK said he was coming home. I would have thought she'd want everything to be perfect."

"I think that's because she's been so focused on TK being here that she completely forgot about everything that had to happen BEFORE he was back," Ken replied, "You should have seen her the last few weeks of school. She was a complete mess! I don't know how she managed to get through all her exams."

"Well now we're paying for everyone's negligence," Izzy grumbled as the four boys got out of the car.

Cody and Ken looked at one another uncomfortably, not knowing how to react to Izzy's mood. Joe on the other hand just smiled. After he had spent so many years dealing with Tai, Matt, Mimi and the others with his red-headed friend, he knew that Izzy was just blowing hot air and wasn't really upset.

The four boys entered the building and split up. Joe and Izzy grabbed a cart and went to look after the food, while Ken and Cody looked after other supplies.

"We'll meet up to get the drinks together in ten minutes," Izzy called after Ken and Cody, as the two younger boys walked away.

"You got it!" Cody called back

"How do we get stuck getting the boring stuff while they get to pick the food?" Ken asked as the two boys walked through the grocery store.

"Probably because they need to make sure they don't get something that Joe's allergic to," Cody answered.

"Right," Ken laughed, "we better make sure we get the most basic supplies possible for his sake!"

Cody chuckled and rolled his eyes before changing the topic, "It'll be nice to see everyone. I think I've only seen Mimi once since TK left, and I haven't seen a lot of Sora or Matt either."

"Well maybe that's just because you've got your own life now. And your own girlfriend," Ken teased.

"For the hundredth time, Keiko and I are not dating!" Cody exclaimed.

"Sheesh just relax," Ken laughed, "You know I'm just kidding around. I know you guys are just good friends. But you know you're going to get questioned about it tonight, right?"

"Yeah I know," Cody answered, "I wish people believed me when I tell them that she and I aren't together."

Ken nodded in agreement, "I know what you mean. It's an occupational hazard of being young. When a guy and a girl are close, everyone assumes there are feelings mixed in there."

"I'm not saying there are no feelings," Cody told him, blushing slightly, "I just don't know how strong my feelings for her are. Whether or not it's real, or just because we're close friends. And I mean, it's not like I haven't considered going out with other girls."

"You don't have to try to justify yourself to me Cody. These things aren't simple to figure out. But if you ever need a hand with anything, feel free to ask."

"Thanks Ken," Cody smiled in response.

"Any time. Now let's see plates and cups…"

While Ken and Cody started to gather suitable supplies, Joe and Izzy were standing in the frozen food aisle, their pursuit of food momentarily forgotten.

"You're going to propose?!" Izzy almost shouted.

"Keep it down!" Joe snapped, blushing as several pairs of eyes turned to look at the two young men.

"Sorry I'm just so surprised," Izzy said, in a much quieter voice, "The idea of you being married already is just really neat."

"Well I'm not going to propose yet," Joe replied, a small hint of panic in his voice, "I'm going to wait until at least we finish our undergrad. And I'm sure Hanako probably will want to be engaged for a year or two before we actually tie the knot.

"Still, that's incredible Joe! I'm really happy for you!"

"Thanks," Joe said sheepishly, "To be honest I wasn't really sure if I'd ever connect with someone, you know, normal."

"Uhh, I wouldn't exactly describe your girlfriend as 'normal' Joe," Izzy joked, "She takes the whole 'free spirit' idea a bit far. Further then what many of us thought you would ever be attracted to."

Joe rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean. I didn't think I'd connect with someone who wasn't a DigiDestined, like us. The fact that she is so, as you say, 'free spirited' just makes me love her even more. Plus, it does make me feel needed on occasion."

"Still 'Old Reliable'. Good to know some things will never change," Izzy smirked.

"Shut up and let's find some damn food already," Joe sighed in defeat, knowing that nothing he could say would curb Izzy's jokes.

The two of them purchased a couple dozen hamburgers, as well as two frozen pizzas. They then moved to the snack food section of the store and loaded up with several bags of chips, candies, and other assorted junk food. After they had determined that they had purchased enough food that Tai and Davis would have enough to eat, they slowly made their way to meet up with Cody and Izzy.

"Holy crap how much food do we need?" Cody asked incredulously when he saw the two older boys enter the drink aisle he and Ken were already occupying.

"You do remember who all is going to be at this party right?" Izzy asked, "There's going to be twelve-"

"Thirteen," Ken corrected.

"Right, thirteen of us," Izzy continued, "A number which includes two of the biggest eaters I know in Tai and Davis, and if I recall, Matt and TK could pack away the food too when they wanted."

"Yeah, but maybe shouldn't we get something, you know, green?" Ken asked. His stomach was already feeling upset just by looking at the copious amount of unhealthy food before him.

"Don't worry about it," Joe answered, "Izzy just got a text from Mimi saying she's going to bring a salad or two. And there's a market I want to swing by to pick up some corn cobs. I figure we can grill those along with the burgers."

"Your hippie, tree-hugging girlfriend teach you how to do that?" Izzy sniggered.

"You're lucky I'm above your childish taunts," Joe responded indifferently, "Now let's get some pop and punch and then be on our way."

"No alcohol for the 'grown-ups'?" Ken asked sarcastically as they four boys started to add an assortment of drinks to the cart.

"I don't know. I don't really care," Joe told him nonchalantly, "Technically I'm the only one of legal age at the moment, and I only usually have a glass of wine with dinner. But knowing Tai and Matt, if there was one thing they did get ready for this party, it was alcohol."

They four friends roared with laughter as they finally finished loading the cart, and slowly made their way to the checkout. It took several minutes to pay for anything, because they all started arguing about who would pay for what. Everyone wanted to pay for it, or at least part of it. Finally, after Izzy eventually out-argued everyone else and paid for the supplies, they left the store, loaded up the car and departed.

"So we'll just make the one stop at the market and then we'll be back to the Kamiya's!" Joe said excitedly.

"I love it," Ken replied, "But for all of our sakes, I say we don't mention the argument about who would pay. The others wouldn't understand."

"What do you mean?" Cody asked.

"Let me put it this way, can you really imagine Davis ever actually WANTING to pay for something?"

"Fair point."

* * *

The backyard of the Kamiya residence looked as though a whole army battalion had just finished eating. Used plates, dirty glasses and utensils were strewn all around. Almost finished hamburgers were attracting flies. Pizza crusts lay forgotten on the ground. A two foot tall stack of eaten corn cobs stood precariously near the pool. A dozen empty beer cans littered the ground near some of the larger messes. And all around, the thirteen youth that had caused this destruction lounged around in whatever position they felt comfortable in.

"Oh my god I don't think I'll need to eat for the rest of the summer," Davis groaned.

"Same here," Mimi agreed, "Sora for your birthday next week, maybe you should just take us all to the gym."

"To hell with that shit. I'm not gonna be able to move until I've been nineteen for a week and a half!" The red-head exclaimed.

Everyone laughed at the idea of Sora being lazy. Tai laughed so hard that he even slipped off his chair, which caused another chorus of laughter.

"I really do envy all of you," Catherine said, when everyone finally stopped laughing to take a breath.

"What do you mean?" Davis asked.

"Well even after all these years, you all are still so close. You know each other so well. You were able to create such a strong bond with all of the ordeals that you went through when you were younger. I don't know. I just wish I had the same sort of connection with all the DigiDestined back in France," Catherine responded.

"What do you mean?" Kari questioned, "TK told me he's been to two reunions with all the French DigiDestined."

"We do see each other on occasion. And we are friends," Catherine answered, "And some of us are quite close. Jacques and Arlette are dating and living together. But we just do not have the bond like all of you do. I could ask any of you a question about someone and you would be able to answer!"

"I don't know about that," Mimi told her, "Matt still hasn't told me who he lost his virginity to."

"Jun," Davis replied nonchalantly.

"WHAT?!" Mimi, Yolei, and Kari yelled.

Matt glared furiously at Davis while everyone stared at him, "You little son of a bitch! How did you even know that? I only told Tai, Izzy and TK!"

"Well I'm sure you noticed my sister isn't exactly quiet in the sack," Davis smirked, "I stopped by the apartment on my way to Ken's to hang out with him and Cody. I saw the guitar case, heard my sister, and left as fast as I could. But not before hearing 'OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M MATT ISHIDA'S FIRST!' Kinda told me more than I needed to know."

"Goddamnit…" Matt muttered, "And I'm assuming you-"

"Told Ken and Cody the minute I saw them? Yeah. But don't worry, we made a point never to talk about it with anyone else."

"Well at least everyone knows now," Matt sighed in frustration while several of the others laughed, "I knew Izzy told Joe. And Tai and Sora talk about every damn thing on the planet so obviously she knew."

"In Tai's defense," Sora cut in, "I heard about it because Jun was telling everyone possible. She made a point of telling me personally, as thought I should be jealous."

"How little she knows you," Matt said drily.

"Ha ha, indeed. I'm just surprised that you three didn't know about this," Sora finished to Mimi, Kari, and Yolei.

"Well that's probably because the two or three weeks that Matt dated Jun is when Yolei started dating Ken," Kari responded, "So I didn't exactly hear much about anything at that time."

"Hey!" Yolei shot at her.

"Can we please not go there right now?" Ken groaned.

"What? You two only dated a couple months," Kari said, "Not that anything bad happened. You guys obviously just didn't feel a strong enough connection back then."

"And they decided to be so grown up about it and end it themselves right then," Mimi rolled her eyes.

"You disapprove?" Ken asked.

"I just don't think you gave it enough of a shot is all," Mimi responded.

"Well at least we gave it a shot Meems!" Yolei said to Mimi, "You've had nothing of a love life since you moved back."

"Well to be honest, I haven't really been looking. Matt set me up with Shigeru, but it didn't work. I was like Sora, I felt he was too focused on the band. And since I haven't been looking too much there's been nothing since then."

"HEY!" Izzy yelled, "I was totally romantic taking you to Prom a few weeks ago! How does that count as 'nothing'?"

"Sorry Izzy, I just didn't know if what we did counted as a 'date'," Mimi winked at him, smiling widely.

Izzy rolled his eyes, "I don't know why I put up with you sometimes."

"Well when I'm at the University of Tokyo with Tai and Sora, and you're at Kyoto Institute of Technology, you know you'll miss me," Mimi laughed.

Izzy just rolled his eyes again and shook his head, choosing not to respond. The group was quiet for a moment, everyone waiting for someone to speak.

"Well, I guess I'll volunteer my romantic story next," Tai announced in an overly dramatic voice.

"What story?" Sora asked skeptically, "You've dated a dozen girls over the last few years, nothing serious. You lost your virginity to the captain of the girls soccer team Christmas of our last year in high school, and you haven't been able to keep any girl at school interested for more than three weeks. The closest thing to a 'romance' you've had is when you took me to Prom last year!"

Tai stared at Sora, his tongue in his cheek while Matt, Izzy, Joe and Mimi roared with laughter. The younger DigiDestined chuckled, but aside from TK and Kari, none of them understood the dynamic between Tai and Sora like the others did.

"You know Takenouchi, one of these days you're actually going to have another boyfriend. And I'm going to give you more grief than you ever have given me with my love life."

"Wanna place a bet on that Kamiya?" Sora challenged, an eyebrow raised.

"Absolutely. If I don't make fun of the next guy you date, then I'll give you the best sex you've ever had."

"TAI! Stop!" Kari shouted at her brother while all the guys present laughed, "That is something I just do NOT want to hear!"

"Well," Tai started on his sister, "Consider this part of your on-going punishment. I still haven't gotten over you not listening to me and actually dating Davis."

"Wait, WHAT!?" TK shouted in alarm, looking back and forth between Davis and Kari, "You guys were- I mean you two- WHAT?"

Kari blushed furiously, not looking at TK while Davis just grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I finally broke her resistance a couple years ago. Just when we started high school. Best three weeks of my life," He laughed while most of the others laughed with him

"Not from what you've told me," Ken muttered under his breath, while the others weren't listening. He checked to make sure no one overheard him and caught Yolei's eye. She smiled in appreciation obviously having heard what he had said, and Ken smirked. If anyone understood Ken's frustration with how Davis carried on, it was Yolei. Despite not being together anymore, he still went to her with all his complaints about his maroon haired friend.

"I broke up with him quickly though," Kari assured TK, a note of pleading in her voice, "I just didn't feel totally compatible with him. And, I was a little embarrassed about the whole thing."

"Obviously you were. You never told me about it," TK laughed, "Don't worry Kari, it's fine. You're still just the princess waiting for her prince you've always been."

"Ha ha" Kari responded sarcastically, "I don't even know why I missed you. Jerk."

TK just laughed at Kari's response. He was about to congratulate Davis on achieving his dream when he noticed a small smirk on Catherine's face.

"What is it Catherine? You're smiling about something."

"Oh I just find it funny at how well you all proved my point. All I had to do was say that you all are close, and I suddenly got the love stories of almost everyone here!"

Everyone slowly started to laugh as they realised that Catherine was right. They really were an incredibly close group of friends.

The party continued on after this. Everyone floated on from one activity to another. No one stayed doing the same thing for very long. A rotating game of poker was started by Matt, Tai, Davis and Joe. Izzy playfully pushed Mimi in the pool, and she quickly dragged him in with her, causing some of the others to go in for a splash briefly.

As everything progressed, TK decided to take a bit of a break from everything. He pulled his chair into a sunny corner of the yard, and sat himself down, his back to the setting sun and facing all his friends. He smiled as he observed everyone enjoying each other's company.

He saw Cody, Sora, Yolei and Ken taking their turns at the poker game. TK felt quite happy to see Cody getting along so well with the others. Especially Ken. He knew it was always hard for Cody to fit in at times. He was just starting high school while several of his friends were already in university. And after the friction that existed between the youngest DigiDestined and Ken, it was a relief to see them share such a close friendship. At times they almost seemed like siblings the way they joked with one another.

It also relieved TK to see how social Sora was being. According to Matt, she had gone through a spell when they were dating where she didn't interact with many of the others, especially the younger DigiDestined. And even after she and Matt broke up, apparently there were times where Sora only really talked and spent time with Tai. Supposedly, nothing was ever wrong, it was just something she did on occasion. But TK was glad Sora was acting like the same girl he had always known.

Yolei still seemed to be the same girl she always had been. She clearly hadn't overcome her lack of ability when it came to card games, but that didn't put a damper on her mood. She was loud, excitable, witty, honest, and everything else that TK had come to rely on during the time they had spent together in the DigiWorld.

TK then looked over to see Catherine laughing along with Matt, Davis and Joe. TK assumed, judging by how Matt and Davis were cackling, while Joe was rolling his eyes, that his girlfriend was being regaled with embarrassing stories about his childhood. TK didn't mind though. He knew that they were just having a bit of fun.

TK was glad that he had a chance to continue his friendship with Davis. Despite their slightly rivalrous friendship when they first met, TK had grown extremely close with Davis and had always hated the fact that he left just when they were becoming inseparable. He hoped now that he was back in Japan, that their friendship could pick-up where it left off. If it was possible with anyone, then it was with Davis.

With Joe being so busy with school and his girlfriend, TK knew he needed to spend as much time as he could with his older friend over the summer. Once Joe was back in school, he would be extremely busy, and it was likely that he wouldn't be coming back to Tokyo in the near future. TK wouldn't have minded this as much if he hadn't already missed three years of spending time with Joe. They may not have been extremely close, but TK still respected and liked Joe in a way unlike the others.

As for Matt, TK knew that there would be more than enough time to reconnect with his brother. They had spent enough of their lives taking what time they could to have as normal a sibling relationship as possible so there wouldn't be much of a change.

As TK continued to can the party, he saw Tai, Mimi and Izzy talking inside the house. He was just about to stand up and join him, when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck.

"You look a little lonely over here TK," said a familiar voice.

TK smiled as he turned and looked up into Kari's smiling face.

"Just observing," the blonde smiled at his friend, quickly shifting his right sleeve down his arm, "Just so much has changed over the past couple years, I need a bit of a break from all the stories just to sit back and watch all my favourite people again."

"Aww, you missed us," Kari teased.

"Course I did," TK responded, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling into a slightly awkward embrace.

Kari laughed and knelt down, making it slightly easier for her to talk to her friend.

"So how are you doing?" she asked gently, "I know the last few weeks can't have been easy on you at all. Your grandfather, finishing the school year and moving. It's a lot. I've been worried."

"You would be worried about the small things," the boy laughed.

"TK…"

"I know Kari. I appreciate you worrying as much as you do. But honestly, I've been fine. Been too damn busy to focus on anything else. And thankfully Catherine's been letting me lean on her. Especially when my Mom has needed to lean on me."

Kari smiled awkwardly.

"I still can't believe you're with her. I didn't think you were actually dating," she said.

"What do you mean?" TK asked, "I told you when we started going out."

"I know you started using different terminology," the brunette replied, "I just didn't really pick up on it I guess. And it's not like you ever told me any details. I mean have you two…"

Kari looked at TK with anticipation as she trailed off, not finishing her question.

TK stared at her looking bemused for a moment, before chuckling, "No we haven't slept together yet Kari. Just hasn't felt like there's been a right time."

"Oh. Okay," Kari said, feeling her stomach relax, "That's good to know. I mean, I just would have expected you to tell me something that big."

TK smiled and rolled his eyes, not even bothering to respond.

"Anyway," Kari said quickly, "I came over here for a reason. Come inside, I got you a present."

"Ooh lucky me," TK joked as he took Kari's extended hand. She laughed as she pulled him across the lawn to the house.

"Where are you going?" Catherine shouted as they passed by.

"Kari's giving me a 'special present'" TK laughed, "Try not to get too jealous out here."

Everyone laughed while Catherine just smiled and shook her head.

Kari and TK entered the house, nodded at Tai, Mimi and Izzy in the kitchen and continued on through. Kari pulled TK up the stairs near the front door, then turned and took him into her bedroom just off the top of the flight of stairs on the second level of the house. She let go of TK's hand and walked over to her desk looking for something.

TK took a moment to look around the room. Her desk was just to his right, taking up the corner next to the door of her room. On his left was her bed, stretching most of the wall but with just enough room to access the closet that fit neatly in the wall between the bed and the door. There was a window with white and pink drapes just next to Kari's bed and right above a nightstand that was covered in pictures. There was a reading chair next to the nightstand and in the last corner of the room was a large, multi-coloured dresser. TK smiled, knowing that this sort of room was just perfect for Kari. She could have everything she needed without too much extra space.

What did surprise TK however, were the number of pictures plastered all across the room. And how many he was in. Considering he had only spent about a year actually living in the same place as Kari, at least half the pictures were just of the two of them, and he was in a lot of the others. He walked over to the nightstand and picked up one of the few pictures without him in it. It was Kari, Yolei, Mimi and Sora, arms around one another at a dinner table. TK couldn't help but feel his heart warm a bit as he looked at the smiles of the four girls. Especially Kari's. When he had moved away, Kari hadn't been the type of person to go out for "girl time" or anything. She just wasn't comfortable with it. So it made him happy to see that she had become a much stronger girl. He admired her that much more for it.

He set the picture of the girls down, and spotted a picture of him with Kari he didn't recognise. Just as he reached to pick it up however, Kari spoke.

"Found it!" she cried out with excitement, "Now I didn't have time to wrap it, so close your eyes and turn around."

TK mentally rolled his eyes at his friend, and did as she asked.

"Hold out your hands," came Kari's voice.

"Kari, I swear that if this is something gross, I will drag you to the Digital World and make you kiss a Numemon!" TK threatened as he raised his arms.

"Oh relax silly."

TK heard a bag rustle, as Kari pulled out whatever his gift was. He heard her take a step forward, and place something soft in his hands. He finally opened his eyes and saw…

"A white fisherman's cap!" TK cried in delight.

Kari laughed as TK quickly jammed the cap on his blonde hair. He suddenly looked as though he had never left, wearing the same silly smile on his face he always had.

"Aww Kari you're too much," he said, pulling Kari into a tight embrace.

"It was nothing," Kari replied, "I just remember you saying your last one got ruined a couple of years ago. So I figured it was time for another one."

TK pulled away and examined his friend, smiling at her as he did so. The smile and warmth in Kari's eyes were the exact reasons why he had missed her so much over the past few years. It was one thing to be able to communicate, but in TK's mind, there was no proper substitute for getting a hug from your best friend. It also served as a reminder that despite many changes, she was still the same person.

TK was amazed at how much Kari had changed physically over his absent years. She had grown a bit more, and while TK still stood taller than her, the gap was certainly smaller. While she still held her small frame, she had obviously gone through lengths to stay in shape, as her arms looked noticeably stronger, and her face had lost any baby fat that had been there a few years previously.

What TK really noticed, despite how inappropriate he felt about it, was how much more womanly Kari looked. Her breasts, which TK had never given a second thought before, were now fully developed, and complemented her nicely. Her body seemed to have more curves than TK had noticed before, and everything seemed to come together at the perfect angles.

He knew Kari was considered one of the most attractive girls at school, and now that he had seen her after such a long time, he understood why.

"TK, you okay?" Kari asked concerned, "You've just been quietly staring for a couple of minutes."

"Oh sorry, it's nothing, everything's fine," TK answered quickly, not realising he was blushing slightly.

"Weirdo," Kari smirked. She settled down in the chair at her desk while TK sat in the reading chair. They started chatting about everything incidental in their lives. School, how much they missed each other, sports, weather, how much they missed each other, learning to drive, and how much they missed each other. Just to name a few things. They were talking so long that they lost track of time, and only when Kari checked her watch, did she realise how long they had been talking.

"Let's get back downstairs. I'm sure the other's don't want me hogging you."

The two of them left the room and began their descent down the stairs. Simply enjoying one another's company, neither were talking, which allowed them to hear Sora's voice echoing from the kitchen along with Tai's, Izzy's and Mimi's. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Kari turned to TK and jerked her head to where the voices where coming from.

TK nodded, feeling it would be a good idea to chat with them. They changed course slightly and made for the kitchen instead of the back door. Just as they reached the kitchen door however, they received a shock.

"Holy shit you two slept together?!"

TK and Kari stood stunned, staring in at an equally stunned Tai and Sora. Mimi and Izzy were both extremely red in the face, avoiding eye contact, but both looking somewhat pleased with themselves.

"Yeah, we did," Mimi answered Sora, "After prom. We went to the after party for a bit, before Iz decided to drive me home. We stopped to take a look at the river and, well, we ended up having sex."

"Well, er, wow! Congratulations! I think," Tai said rather awkwardly.

"Relax Tai," Izzy told his friend reassuringly, "We're not together. It was just something we both wanted at the time. We're not making a big deal about it."

"But we figured we HAD to tell you two," Mimi informed them, "I mean, we tell you two everything."

"Well don't worry," Sora smiled, "You can count on our discretion. No one else will know about this unless you tell them."

Kari and TK looked at one another awkwardly. No one had noticed them in the doorway. It would be so easy to walk away right now and pretend that they hadn't heard anything. But as they turned to see the four friends embracing one another in trust, the two friends knew they owed it to Izzy and Mimi to tell them.

"I wouldn't exactly be sure of that Sora," TK said loudly, almost wincing as he did so.

Everyone in the kitchen whipped around to stare in shock at TK and Kari. An incredibly awkward air hung over the scene for several seconds. Everyone was trying to think of something to break the ice. Finally, when TK couldn't take the silence anymore, he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"But I mean, Kari and I are too young to know what sex is. So you don't have to worry us talking about what I assume to be some kind of tasty desert."

There was a collective "Oooooooohh" from the assembled friends at TK's bad joke, but everyone quickly started laughing.

"Well if Tai has his way, his sister will never learn what it is," Sora said, winking at Tai as she did so.

"Damn straight," was Tai's instantaneous response.

Everyone laughed again as Izzy approached TK, his hand out stretched.

"Thanks you guys, we appreciate it," He told them, shaking TK's hand, then Kari's.

"Yeah, we really do," Mimi added, quickly hugging the both of them.

TK and Kari made to settle themselves with the others, but before anyone could strike up a new conversation, someone started yelling at them from outside.

"YO TEEKS! Your girlfriend is basically falling asleep on top of Davis. Unless you want him being as weird as he used to be with Kari, I suggest we get going!"

Everyone laughed at Matt's announcement while Tai checked the clock.

"Fuck, 10:30. That is later than mom wanted to keep TK up after all his travelling. And I still have to get enough sleep for tomorrow morning. Ugh, why am I stupid enough to plan a party the night before I have practise?"

"Cause you're just such a caring and loyal friend Tai," Sora told him sweetly.

Kari scoffed while TK laughed.

"Whatever the reason Tai, I do appreciate it. What both you and Kari have done to set up. Well, I know everyone did have a hand in it, but as the hosts, you guys obviously get the credit."

Izzy grunted in mock annoyance, while the others laughed. When they calmed down, TK led the others back outside where, like Matt had said, Catherine looked ready to fall asleep any second.

"Alright, let's get you home sleeping beauty," TK joked as he wrapped his arm around Catherine to support her.

He and Matt said their goodbyes to everyone, Catherine said a few groggy goodbyes but didn't get a lot out, and made to leave. They were followed shortly by Ken, Joe, Davis, Cody and Yolei. None of them seemed to want to go, but the late hour made them all feel too tired to carry on any longer. Izzy, Mimi and Sora all said that they would stay to help Tai and Kari clean up before heading out. The siblings argued with their friends for a few minutes but eventually relented, knowing it was a lost battle.

The four older friends chatted animatedly while they cleaned, all talking about how this was one of the best get-togethers they had had in a while. Kari however, just smiled and nodded in agreement. Once the party started to break up, she wasn't feeling nearly as happy as she had earlier.

Once she had seen TK wrap his arms around Catherine, and she felt the same sensation she had felt in the car earlier that day.

* * *

"Tai if you're tired you can turn around now. You don't need to walk me the whole way home."

Sora and Tai strolled down the sidewalk. Tai had just finished letting out a particularly large yawn that helped emphasise the late hour, and how busy he had been throughout the day.

"Don't even try Sora. You know I'm going to make sure you get back safely. It's the least I can do, considering how long you stayed to clean up. Besides, it's only a few more blocks. There's no point in turning back now."

The party had ended just over three hours ago. Izzy and Mimi left around midnight, just over an hour after everyone else had left, and Kari had said that she felt too drained to assist in anymore clean up at one o'clock. Tai and Sora took about half an hour to finish the cleaning, then Tai had insisted on walking Sora home.

"I still don't know why we didn't just drive," Sora said, "You could've been home in bed already. You have practise in five hours for god's sake!"

"Oh relax," Tai laughed, "I'll be fine. It's not like someone as stellar as me needs the practise. Besides, walking you home is tradition. It's something that's just special and ours."

"Fair enough," Sora smiled, "And I guess it does give us a bit of time to talk about things."

"Things like Izzy and Mimi finally sleeping together?"

"Oh my god I am SO happy that finally happened! I mean, they've been dancing around it for ages. I know neither have been sure of their feelings toward the other, but they have obviously felt something for a long time."

"Oh I know," Tai told Sora, "I don't know how many times I've heard Izzy go on about how Mimi is the most attractive girl he's ever met. But any time I suggested that he should actually try dating her, he just blew me off."

"Yeah, Mimi always did the same to me. I wonder why they both would do that?" Sora asked.

"It's just because of who they are," Tai answered, "Izzy, being so analytical, just looks at everything from every angle. He checks, double checks, even quadruple checks that every little thing he does in matters of love is the right choice. And Mimi, well she just knows that if she's unsure of her feelings, she can't bring herself to potentially hurt someone she cares about."

Sora stared at Tai for a moment before speaking, "You know, sometimes I wonder how Matt ended up with the Crest of Friendship and not you. You understand us all so well. Often times in ways I would never imagine."

"Just cause I understand doesn't mean I'm the better friend. Matt will always be Matt. He has his ways of just being able to be the perfect friend just when you need it. He can patch up any fight, and he's the perfect guy to turn to."

"Yeah he is a good guy," Sora commented.

"I'm still surprised it didn't work between you two. I mean, I know why you ended things. I totally get your motivation. But you two just seemed so compatible. And I know he hasn't completely gotten over it," Tai said.

"Well I have," Sore replied, "He'll have more than a few girls in his life. And I hope he ends up with someone who appreciates and loves everything about him. It's just not me."

"Fair enough. You are right about the girls though. I'm jealous that he has girls lining up to be with him."

"It's not like you don't do well yourself Mr. Team Captain," Sora laughed, "Despite my jokes earlier, you've been doing quite well. I've lost track of how many girls you've told me about."

"It hasn't been that many!" Tai blushed, "Besides, I just need to play the field until I find the perfect girl!"

"Yeah sure you do. Creep."

The two friends laughed as they reached Sora's house. They stopped at the edge of the lawn and Sora turned to Tai.

"But if you need some help, you know I'm always willing to give you some assistance."

"Sounds good," Tai smiled, as he pulled Sora into a hug, "And then we can start working on finding the right guy for you."

The red head smiled and nodded in agreement, hugging Tai back and smiled. The two friends released one another and Tai turned to start his walk home.

Sora stood watching her friend, holding her hands close to her chest. When she finally saw his brown hair disappear around the corner, she sighed.

"Oh Tai, if only you knew that I've already found the right guy for me."


	3. Guys and Girls

My apologies for taking so song with the chapter. I really have no good excuse. But the next one should not take so long, which is good.

As always, let me know what you think!

* * *

_Teenagers always look forward to their summer vacations. Two months free of school and responsibility. Sure, some work, but summer jobs are never overly demanding. So this enables teenagers to crave the time they'll spend with their friends. All the crazy adventures they'll share deep into the night, when they don't have to be awake the next morning. Cherishing the time they have before they "grow up" and don't have the luxury to cause mischief at one in the morning._

_ In reality though, teenagers are just like all other people. They're creatures of habit. They fall into a routine, and 80% of what they do stays the same. 90 if someone has one of those dreaded summer jobs. Even when a new variable is added to the equation, nothing changes for long. The variable is simply pulled into the routine, and after a short period of time, it's as though there was never a time when things were different._

_ Now all of this isn't a problem, despite what a lot of people may think. Because all lives are based on a routine of eating, working, sleeping, and everything else that is essential, there is no reason to fear falling into a pattern. Overall, patterns are good. They help subconsciously tell you if things are going well or not. If the pattern is different, you can examine what's changed, and if that's a good thing or not._

_ What does matter is how people spend that 20% of free time (For lack of a better term), and whether it follows the routine or not. Too much pattern and routine can be a bad thing. You need some change on occasion or else things can go wonky._

"Jesus TK, what the hell are you typing over there?" Matt asked from his seat at the kitchen table.

"What's it to you?" the younger brother asked from his chair in the living room.

"Just, you're typing like mad. More than normal. I mean, most days your typing seems slow and methodical. Today you're going crazy."

"Oh he gets like that sometimes," Catherine said fondly, sitting across from Matt, "I've learned not to disturb TK when he writes down his thoughts for the day. I just enjoy watching."

"You're weird," Matt joked.

TK shook his head as his brother and girlfriend continued to talk, and he turned back to his laptop.

_As long as you're comfortable with the routine, and there are people who can snap you out of it if you get too comfortable, things should be fine._

_ Take Matt for example. He wakes up (or at least claims to) at seven each morning. He takes an hour or so to get ready, mostly to do his hair I'm assuming, and eats breakfast, and all the normal morning shit people do. When he's done that, he usually takes the morning to do anything essential. Chores that Dad needs done, loan applications for school, booking anything for the band. All that fun stuff. Around noon, he stops by here to eat lunch with anyone who's here. Unless Mom, Catherine and I are all out. He's got three band practises a week on average, and when he doesn't have those in the afternoons, he's usually hanging out with someone. Me, Tai, Sora, the guys from the band, whoever's free. Most nights he's at Dad's for dinner (Unless he went out with someone he was chilling out with) and then just relaxes the rest of the night. Again, unless it's a 20% day. On weekends, he's got at least one show to do. Most of the time it's two._

_ So while his life is fairly regimented, even to the point where he has specific times of the day when he may hang out with people, he can still keep things fairly different for the routine not to get too dull._

_ Now Catherine and I are a bit different. As you would expect. Our routine mainly consists of hanging out together. I mean, she's staying with me for two months, in an unfamiliar city, where she only knows a few people. And neither of us have jobs, so we have a good amount of free time._

_ We usually go out for a nice long walk each day, preferably in the evening, but sometimes we go out in the afternoon. Provided it's not too hot. Usually, about once a week, Kari, Davis, Ken, Yolei, and Cody all have something going on at the same time. So when that happens, we often go see a movie. (Side note, this has been a good summer for super hero movies). But for the most part, it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, and hanging out together. Just what, where, and additional people are varied._

_ Today though, it's actually going to be the first (and hopefully not the last) time that Catherine and I are hanging out with different people at the same time. I'm going to hang out with the guys, while Kari, Catherine and Yolei are having a bit of a girl's day. Which is nice because I know Yolei and Catherine have been trying to figure this out for a couple weeks. Unfortunately Kari's schedule has been difficult to navigate. But it's finally worked out! I really hope Kari and Catherine do bond. It would be nice to have the two most important girls in my life be close._

_ Anyway, that was what my whole rant about 'routine' was leading up to. A bit unnecessary I know. But sometimes, I just like to let my mind wander and see what comes up. I love how absolutely random it can be. Plus, you never know where inspiration will come from._

TK finished typing and closed his laptop. He checked his watched and, satisfied with the time stood up.

"Okay Catherine, let's get going. Yolei said she wanted to be at Kari's by 1:30, and it'll take you guys a while to walk there once I drop you off."

"Is he always this demanding of you?" Matt asked Catherine as the young girl began to rise.

"Oh of course not," she laughed airily, "But when I like indulging him on occasion."

"Ha ha," TK said drily.

As Matt laughed, obviously pleased with himself, Catherine and TK got ready to leave. As soon as they finished, they bid goodbye to Matt, and were out the door.

* * *

An empty pop can flew through the air before banging into a garbage can.

"You know Davis, it wouldn't have taken that much extra effort to put that in the recycling, rather than just throw it in the trash," Ken said in an annoyed tone.

"True, but it's not the end of the world," the maroon haired boy replied, with a bit of a sheepish grin, "Besides, this is way too comfortable. Tell me I'm lying."

"Fair point," Ken chuckled, shaking his head.

Davis, Ken, Cody and TK were relaxing in the shade of a couple of large trees. Ken and Cody were sitting a couple feet apart, their backs against the trunk of the larger tree. Cody held his knees with his arms while Ken just let his body relax, not having any strength left. Davis sat opposite them, his arm draped over a raised knee. TK was sitting on a branch almost directly above Davis, one leg dangling freely.

The boys had just finished one of the most exhausting afternoons the felt they would ever have. After TK had arrived at Ken's with Cody, they had first gone shopping for sporting gear. Davis and Ken both got new soccer cleats, and ken repaired his old, shattered shin guards.

Cody needed a new baseball bat, as well as batting gloves. Since reaching Davis' height, he had taken up the sport with gusto, and was easily the best played on the school team. Davis liked to joke that Cody was so good because of all his Kendo practise. Cody liked to joke about hitting Davis with a bat.

TK picked up a new pair of shoes, as well as a practise basketball. He knew that there was no guarantee that he would make the school team, but now that he had a hoop at his house, he would always have a chance to shoot the ball around. He also surprised everyone by picking up a pair of soccer cleats as well.

"I lived in France," he told the guys when he picked them out, "It's kind of a big deal there. After they lost the World Cup Final a couple years ago, the whole country was in mourning for like, a month."

After they dropped all of their purchases off at Ken's place, the four of them went down to the field nearby. They then proceeded to play soccer for almost three hours. The goofed around, played a little two-on-two, even got into a larger game when some other players stopped by.

Only after Davis collapsed with fatigue, did they all agree to recuperate before collecting their things and calling it a day.

So they made their way to the trees, TK made a brief detour to get them all drinks from a nearby food cart, and spent the last little while just relaxing. Even though they were almost at the point of being ready, everyone knew they couldn't leave yet. No one had touched on the topic that everyone knew would come up eventually.

Finally, TK broke the silence.

"So, girls," he said simply.

His three friends on the ground laughed appreciatively at TK's way of bringing up what they all wanted to talk about.

"Alright TK" Davis said after he calmed down, "Girls. What do ya got?"

"What do you mean 'what do I got'? I've been with Catherine for two years."

"Exactly, you're probably more interested in single girls then than the rest of us," Davis joked.

"God you're an asshole Davis," Ken said, rolling his eyes, "Maybe we should just tell TK about Mia?"

"Or Danielle?" Cody suggested.

"Manami?" Ken added.

"Selena?"

"Tori?"

"I hate you two," Davis cut in before his friends could continue, "Besides you're about to kill TK."

The blonde was laughing hysterically and was getting close to slipping off the branch he was sitting on.

"Oh I'm fine Davis," TK told him, "But I wasn't expecting all that! Are those all girls you've dated?"

"No!" Davis exclaimed in defense, "I've only dated a couple girls!"

"It's just that when he likes someone," Cody began, "He never shuts up about them. You know how he was with Kari. And he seems to like someone new every week."

Davis opened his mouth to respond, but then gave a half-smile in defeat and nodded his head.

"So who is it right now?" TK asked.

"It's been going back and forth between Akira and Erica," Ken answered, "It really depends on what day of the week it is."

"Davis I'm disappointed in you!" TK laughed, "I figured that after Kari, you could only be devoted to one girl with your whole heart!"

"Yeah well, sorry to disappoint man," Davis replied, "But I've grown since my brief fling with your girl."

"Oh god not this again," TK rolled his eyes.

Shortly after Davis and Kari and broken up, Davis had really noticed how close Kari and TK were. He had then started jokingly referring to Kari as 'TK's girl' to his blonde friend. TK never knew why Davis had started this habit, given that he didn't even know about the relationship to begin with, but it never bothered him that much. Davis went in spells with it, so TK dealt with it as it came.

"In Davis' defense," Cody said, "I think Kari talked to you TK, than him when they were actually dating. I remember asking her how things were going with Davis, and she answered by telling me you had a fight with your mother."

TK was silent for a moment, completely perplexed, before finally conceding the point, "Yeah I can't even respond to that."

"Exactly," Davis responded, "Besides, why are we looking at the past, when we could be asking about Cody and Keiko?"

"Oh shut up Davis," Cody spat, "When will you figure out we're not together?"

"Not yet," Davis answered, "But you guys are like, TK and Kari close! So it's obviously going to happen eventually."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" TK shouted at Davis, "Do you think things aren't going to last with me and Catherine?"

"Hey I'm not rooting against your happiness man. I'm just being realistic. You're young. Not everyone marries their first girlfriend or boyfriend."

Everyone stared at Davis for a moment before Ken spoke.

"Sometimes, I'm amazed at how much I've rubbed off on you Davis," he said, "You just used sound logic.

"I do it a lot actually," Davis smirked, "But come on TK. You're a rational guy. Tell me you haven't thought about the possibility of you and Catherine breaking up."

The four boys were silent for a moment. TK opened his mouth several times trying to reply, but couldn't find the right words. Davis shared concerned glances with Ken and Cody, worried that he may have gone too far.

"Hey TK I didn't mean to offend you," he apologised.

"No it's fine," TK said softly, "It's just… well, I'm confused. I mean Catherine is amazing. And I'm so happy with her. But she's going back to Paris at the end of summer. And I just, I'm doubting if continuing is the right thing to do."

He swung a leg over the branch, then leapt off, landing next to Davis.

"I'm just, FUCK I'm a complete asshole no matter what happens."

"Hey, don't think like that," Davis told him, grasping his shoulder, "You're TK. You're far from an asshole. You'll do the right thing, and no one will judge you."

TK smiled and nodded, "Thanks man."

The four friends settled in for a little while longer, before Ken finally suggested they head back to his house.

"Hey, we didn't get to hear about Ken's love life today," Davis pointed out as the exited the park.

"What's your point?" Ken asked, "Nothing ever changes."

"Exactly," Cody said, "There's still 'No one really special right now.'"

Ken laughed along with the others as an image of purple hair flashed through his head.

* * *

Kari, Catherine and Yolei as the purple haired girl made a joke about Davis. The girls had enjoyed a great day of gossip and shopping. It had been a good day of bonding for the three girls, who had yet to spend time alone with each other, despite Yolei's best efforts.

"I'm so glad we finally got to do this," Catherine told the two other girls, "I mean I love TK, but sometimes I need a break. And it's been a while since I've been able to just do some girly things."

"Good thing we didn't invite Sora then," Yolei commented from her seat at Kari's desk, "I can't remember the last time she just let herself be a girl."

"Probably when we went to dinner," Kari mentioned from her bed.

"You mean here?" Catherine asked, reaching over the nightstand from her chair and grabbing one of two pictures.

"Yeah that's the one," Kari answered, "That was a good night."

"It really was," Yolei agreed, "But today was pretty great too. Think the pics you took today could replace that one?"

"I dunno Yols," Kari told her, "That was a pretty awesome dinner."

"Well then maybe you should just replace the other picture," Yolei smirked.

Kari glared at Yolei while Catherine picked up the other picture on the table. She didn't know why, but she was more annoyed that Yolei had brought attention to the picture, rather than the fact that she was just suggesting to replace it.

"Hey, it's you and TK!" Catherine said when she finally got a look at the picture, "When was this taken?"

"The day he left," Kari answered, "I was so upset that day."

"We all were," Yolei added, "It was rough I remember Mimi crying so much. I almost burst into tears myself. I don't know how you kept it together Kari."

Kari just smiled a little and nodded. Catherine examined her, then looked at the picture again. There was something about the picture that struck Catherine as odd. She looked around the room, trying to see if she could figure it out. There were several pictures of Kari with her boyfriend, but that wasn't it. Catherine knew that Kari was TK's best friend, and probably always would be. No, it was something specifically about the look in Kari's eyes as she gazed at a friend she thought she may never see again.

"So Kari," Catherine began, trying to sound casual, "Are there any special boys in your life?"

"Gah Catherine! Why did you have to start boy talk now! I was just about to say that we need to head out!" Yolei cried in frustration.

"It's not like she'll get a great answer Yolei," Kari said before turning back to Catherine, "There really isn't anyone Catherine. I mean, I only went out with Davis because it was a weird time for me. And he just wouldn't shut up. I'm just waiting for the right guy to come along."

"Really there is no one at all?" Catherine asked again.

Kari thought for a moment, before shaking her head, "Nope. No one at all."

"Fair enough," Catherine told her, "Well, if we must go Yolei, let's not waste any time."

With that, Catherine and Yolei gathered their things and prepared to leave. They spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to carry all of the bags they had, Kari even offered to store a couple to be picked up again later, but eventually, they got everything sorted out. Soon, Catherine and Yolei were walking back to Yolei's place, enjoying the warm sun on their skin.

"Boy this was a great day," Yolei commented after a few minutes.

"It really was quite fun," Catherine agreed, "I hope we can spend time together again soon without the boys."

"Oh absolutely. I knew a girl's day would be just what Kari needed. She's been down in the dumps recently."

"Oh no, what is wrong?" Catherine asked.

"I really don't know," Yolei answered, "She was so freaking happy as school was ending, even at the start of the summer when she was waiting. But something changed shortly after you and TK got here I think. She says everything is fine, and she nothing has changed. I dunno. I guess I have to trust her."

"I guess you do," Catherine said quietly.

But Catherine thought she knew why Kari had been depressed. Why Kari had been excited to see TK, but upset once he arrived with a girlfriend. Why there was a look of heartbreak in Kari's eyes as she said goodbye to TK years ago. Even if Kari didn't realise it yet, Catherine did.

Kari was in love with TK.


End file.
